More people have claimed to see the Pilliga Yowie than any other in Australia. A keen fascination with urban legends and myths such as this became the catalyst for Forbes-based filmmaker, Dane Millerd, to create his first horror feature film There’s Something In The Pilliga.
Newcastle Live got the chance to have a chat with Dane about his debut film ahead its first screening in Newcastle at the Royal Exchange next Saturday 28th February…
“Four people who should’ve played golf.”
That’s the alternate tag line the film’s writer/director/producer/all-round-creative-powerhouse, Dane Millerd, gives his first masterpiece.
There’s Something In The Pilliga is a story portrayed as a real-life account of four people who become stranded in the Pilliga Forest in Northern NSW. One by one, the group become prey to a strange and elusive creature known as the ‘Jingra’ (an Aboriginal term for Outback Yowie).
Dane’s inspiration for the film comes from his upbringing in a family of journalists and his time as a journalist himself, a vocation that comes hand-in-hand with lots of local stories and urban legends.
“[These stories] are often not documented and are passed down generation to generation, with people keeping their photographs – the sole evidence of claimed sightings – in boxes under their beds.”
“Surprisingly, they would happily offer their artefacts to me and effectively, I sort of became a modern day Fox Maulder,” Dane laughs, “I collected a treasure trove of stories and close to 20 or 30 thousand photos during my time as a journalist.”
Along the way, Dane heard many accounts of the elusive Pilliga Yowie, including one from his own cousin. But the most disturbing of all sightings, is the story Dane heard about a man called Bongo who told his story to ABC Radio. Bongo ended up in a psychiatric ward as a result of his horrifying experience after taking a wrong turn into the Pilliga one night – You can actually listen to the chilling audio here and decide on its truth for yourself!
The large number of eerie stories and claimed sightings of the Pilliga Yowie piqued Dane’s desire to explore the famous legend further, and begin crafting his own story.
There’s Something In The Pilliga was shot in Point-Of-View style, the story naturally lending itself to the found-footage horror genre.
“Shooting in this style helps spark the realness and the tension in the movie. It’s a technique that leaves the audience with the lingering feeling of ‘did that really happen?’”
Unlike other found-footage horror films, such as the classic Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, Dane set his film apart from the rest and chose to shoot entirely on one camera – making this the first horror film of its kind in Australia.
Along with this claim to a first in Australian film history, Dane is proud to announce his film is 100% Australian made, owned and produced.
“The project was completely privately funded… I wanted to give independent film a chance, and exclude getting any government bodies involved so I could do it my own way.”
Though, Dane recognizes that when it comes to the horror genre, the US market is more likely where the film will really take off.
True to this theory, it didn’t take long before There’s Something In The Pilliga caught the interest of five American distributors, and Dane took a trip to LA to meet with each before he decided Black Wolf and Monster were the best for the job.
Before the film’s worldwide release in July 2015, Dane is currently taking his show, quite literally, on the road. The film is set to screen in 30 locations across Australia, including a stop into Newcastle next weekend.
So far, it has received a great response, being viewed mostly by sell-out audiences.
“It’s refreshing to see a lot of people giving it a chance, not just horror movie fans,” Dane says, “Whether it’s people that know me, or people who have been to the Pilliga area, or even just those who enjoy [the film’s] black comedy side.”
The film itself presents an interesting look and feel, steering away from the dank, dark atmospheres of horror movies, and using colourful characters placed in colourful settings.
“It lures you into a false sense of security,” comments Dane, “The first half hour is actually quite funny and takes the piss a bit, but then we flip it and the end becomes anything but funny.”
But, there’s still one question that remains… When asked about whether he believes there IS something in the Pilliga, Dane remains cooly objective, but always keeps an open mind.
“When people ask me what I think, I always say that we unquestionably accept the idea that we live on a blue planet, that circles a fireball, next to a moon that controls the sea… And you don’t think Yowies could exist?”
There’s Something In The Pilliga is a showcase of all that is rare, unknown, beautiful and horrifying in the Australian outback, and we can’t wait to get into the mystery at the film’s screening next Saturday 28th February at the Royal Exchange. Dane will also be present for a Q&A session after the viewing.
